Firehouse Area Climbing

Per Ellen S.: as of Dec. 2025:  I recommend parking just past the intersection of Main Gore and Bighorn (GPS coordinates: 39.62808, -106.28055) and taking the bus. This location is signed as legal parking. Other parking locations mentioned in older comments are now signed as 3 hours maximum parking. The bus is free and runs every 15 minutes and every hour of the day besides 2am-6am. It is very convenient. Bus beta (click on East Vail). 

Update 2/10: per Rob Griz: it appears that the owner of one of the duplex units on Willow Way is not psyched to see climbers park respectfully there, and has been calling Vail PD to ticket cars. After talking with Vail PD, your only options are to park in the public lot, just off of the East Vail exit or further down the road at Big Horn Park lot (not actually a lot, more like parking along the street adjacent to the park). From either location, you will need to walk down Lupine Rd to Willow Way to access the trail. Not a big deal, but a hassle in a town that is clueless in dealing with their parking issues. If you can find parking near a bus stop, use that and ride the bus to the intersection of Big Horn and Lupine Rds.

Previously: take I-70 West out of Denver to Vail Ski Area. Exit on Exit #180, and follow residential roads (Bighorn Rd) to a dead-end. Park here on the right side of the road clear of the fire hydrant (marked by a flag). Parking here is at will of the residents so be very respectful of private property and leave plenty of room for the residents to access their houses. Parking in the Vail area is already highly restricted. The availability of access to these climbs rests with the behavior of the climbing community. Don't spoil it for everyone. Continue along a trail parallel to the cliff for a few hundred yards. Follow a steep gully a couple hundred feet directly up to the obvious ice above, Lowe Gravity Day. To get to FireHouse Pillar, move left on a narrow trail around the arête, past an overhung bulge to the ice.